# A visit to the ISOM



## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

Let me tell you about my story to the ISOM...

Due to problems finding a travel agent that was open their listed ours and other issues I finally was able to make time for my side trip on Monday. I was leaving Mexico to come home Wednesday, so I had to come back from the island on Tuesday. My brother-in-law and I decided to just do an over-nighter and we would just stay up all night so we could get the most out of our experience. This meant hitting the airport at 7 in the morning and staying awake until about 7 the next night. No problem, it will be like my college days.

I go down to the airport in Cancun and go to the Mexicana Air ticket counter and request a ticket for that day. The cost is $345 round-trip plus $15 for a tourist visa. I receive my ticket, boarding pass, and visa and I am off on my adventure...

Upon landing I go to Immigration and you go up to a booth, one at a time, even families go through seperately (except children). The booth ends with a door that is locked. You must be buzzed through. I hand my passport, visa, and immigration papers to a young lady and she looks over my paperwork. "You are leaving tomorrow night?" 

"Yes"
"What is your buiness here?"
"Tourist. Just doing some sight-seeing."
"For one day?"
"Two actually. Today and tomorrow."
"What are you doing here?"
"I am a tourist."
"For one day?"
-- Now I am starting to sweat. What is the big deal? Are they going to send me home? My brother's is already through immigration. The officer he got did not ask any questions. Am I going to be thown in jail? --
"One day. I have never been here and I want to see the island."
"Where are you staying?" 
"I do not know. We could not book a hotel. We will find one when we get to town."
"You are only a tourist? No business here? You flew here for today and tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Let me see your plane ticket."
"Here."
"Why are you here for only today and tomorrow?"
"That is all the time I have."
"You are only a tourist and here for one day?"
"Yes."
Stamp. Stamp. Stamp.
"Go through..."

(to be continued...)


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## smh0768 (Feb 5, 2008)

nice! i hate the sweats that come on when i go through any immigration, much less when they start asking repetetive questions like that. heh. beautiful pics, btw.


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## sofaman (Jun 20, 2007)

I am so Jealous!!!


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So I meet up with my brother-in-law and we head to Customs. When we walk in we go to the exit and show the guard we only had a day-pack with a camera and a change of shorts and various sundries. He tells us we can skip Customs and go through.

Out in the lobby we exchange some money and negotiate a taxi fee of $20 to go into town. We are dropped off in front of the Capitolio. It was hot and humid with no breeze downtown. People are strolling everywhere and many of them are stopping to look at the Huerros (Whiteys). 

As we are taking some pictures of the architecture a young black women approaches me, "Tu quieres una mujer?" She had a great figure, but I was not doing that kind of shopping. I wanted to find cigars.


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## svb (Jan 12, 2008)

Wonderful pics...I am jealous for sure!!! Enjoy, and have a Mojito for me who is stuck in warm, humid Florida


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So we start walking along the Parque Central, which is really just a big sidewalk in the middle of the street with trees and benches along it, and we are stopped by a gentleman who tells us he has a place for us to stay that is cheaper than a hotel. We decide to check out the Casa Particular. These are common on the island. People receive permission, and a license, from the government to rent out rooms in their houses. Few have the amenities of the hotels, but they are cheap ($30 versus $100-300 for a hotel) and often for a couple more bucks you can eat with the family also and experience true local cuisine. 

Outside the casa, a young couple is making out until they see us coming. The man tells the woman to go talk to us and we are propositioned once again. We politely tell her, "No, gracias." and our "guide" shoos her away. 

Inside the casa we are taken through the living room of the house and down a back hallway with its own security door and lock. There are two bedrooms there. The rooms are about 8x10 with a queen bed and a small dresser. One has a small room with a toilet and a sink. There is a small a/c unit in the window and a shower is down the hall.

My brother and I decide to see what the day brings and take the host's card and tell them we will check back later if we decide to take the room. We leave and continue strolling along the Parque Central toward the harbor.


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## Bullybreed (Jun 25, 2007)

this is to cool, more story please!..


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## JonDot (Mar 7, 2008)

Great pics!!Some day maybe I'll get to go there.


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

Sidebar: I guess I should tell everyone what the pics are:

The top is obvious... It is the Jose Marti Tabacalera.
Next is the fortress and lighthouse at the harbor. This is a pretty famous site and most people probably have seen it before in pictures.
Next is a picture of an apartment building. I thought the old architecture was amazing. It was sad to see these old homes and buildings divided up into multi-family apartment buildings and then allowed to run-down.
Next is sunset over the harbor. I thought this was a great shot.
The famous Hotel Nacional. This place is awesome. Like any 5-star place, the prices are crazy. Beers were $5.50 (in the bars and restaurants they are $1). Cigars are $13 and up.
Next is a Montecristo #4 and a Mojito I enjoyed at a hotel downtown. More of that story later.
Next is me at a bar along the harbor road just before sunset. We grabbed a little food (Cuban sandwich) and several beers here.
Next is the road from Vieja Habana to Nueva Habana.
The last pic is the first place we grabbed a beer. This place is about a block from the Upmann factory.

Back to my story in a few....


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So we are walking along the harbor and taking pictures. It is about 85 degrees and the reported humidity was 65%. Not very hot, but wet. Even my guayaberra was sticking to my back. Being tourists, and the palest people on the street, we stuck out from the crowd. Plus, I am 6'1" and my brother is 6'5" so we are a good foot taller than the average person on the street. 

A young guy comes up to us and asks us if we are Germans. We tell him, "No. Estudiadenses." 
"Ah, Americanos." Then he proceeds to offer his services to us as a tour guide and "security". He tells us he will take us to all the tourist spots and hot spots in the city. He also says his uncle works at the cigar factory and he can get us cheap cigars. (It seems everyone we met has a relative at the cigar factory and cheap prices on cigars. Mind you, the government is strict when they catch counterfeiters, but it is still estimated about 80% of the cigars sold are fakes.)

We tell him no thanks and hail a taxi. We negotiate a price of $10 to go to the Upmann factory across town and off we go....


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

i go to havana every year, dont know if your still there, but if you are, ask for the tour guide rene. he will hook you up with some cigars. tell him no fakes!!!. havana is a great place. if you get a chance go get the graveyard tour. i know sound weird, but truly fasinating.


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

thats also funny, i found everyone had someone that worked in the cigar factory.


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So, we arrive at the Upmann Factory, but they are getting ready to close. We talk to the guard and pay a little bribe and he gives us a very brief tour. It is too bad we were too late, but I will make this a priority on my next trip. 

Anyway, the cab driver, who knew wanted to get to the factory for a tour, and knew what time the factory closes, is waiting for us at the gate to take us back to town. 

I am a little miffed for him taking us for a ride, and also at myself for not asking better questions, I tell him we do not need his services. 

After all, I tell my brother, we are here to experience the island. It is only 5 miles back downtown. It is cooling a bit. Let's just walk. So off we went...

After a block or two, my brother says, "There's a bar. Let's grab a drink." We go inside and there are two waitresses and a bartender. We are the only people in the bar. We order two Cuba Libres, and then I realize they will have ice in them. I tell my brother we better not risk taking in any local water, so we change our order to beers. The waitress brings us two Bucanero Fuertes. These are strong beers with an alcohol content of 5.4%. We chat with the staff and have a couple more beers. Two women come in and order some food. The buy one order of Morros y Cristanos (black beans and rice). When it arrives, one takes the bread that comes with it, and the other dumps the plate of rice and beans into a plastic grocery bag, leaves the plate, and they head down the street.
My brother and I finish our beers and decide to head on down the road.


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## Doogie (Oct 15, 2007)

sofaman said:


> I am so Jealous!!!


sweet pics


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So we are walking along and taking pictures. We are talking to the locals as we go. We stop for a drink once in awhile, maybe buy a snack also to keep our energy up. We learned a lot from the local people. 

There are houses with these big, official looking number placards above the doors. We learn these are places the government allows the family to charge people for food. You can stop by these places and if they are cooking they are allowed to invite you in and eat for a small fee. We checked one out. For $3 we ate with this family. We sat at a big table and the family sat there and ate with us. We brought a six-back of Cristal beer and shared that. Our hosts were very free with their speech, opinions, etc. It was a great time and very educational.


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## LkyLindy (Feb 1, 2008)

Title this-My travels to Cuba--very interesting


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

So further down the road we come across this sports complex. The track is worn out. The grass is mostly dead. The swimming pools are empty. The sand box is full of weeds and trash. The equipment is rusting through and in bad repair. But it is full of people everywhere exercising. Some are running on the track. Others are doing dips and pullups. There was a make-shift soccer game in one of the larger pools. One guy was running the bleachers.

I turned and looked over the harbor and this is where I took the picture of the sunset. The old car in the photo (first post) was purely accidental, but it certainly makes the picture even more Cuban-esque.
That is me in the first picture below taking the sunset photo.


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

very nice


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

As we walked down the road further, we stopped at a little restaurant where I am in the top pictures with the thatched roof. A nice breeze was blowing and so we took a break from the heat and to rest. We had some Cristal Beer here. As we sat and chatted, watching the sunset and ate the Cuban version of pizza, we noticed a young lady walking back-and-forth in front of the restaurant. She kept looking at us and smiled. It was rather odd to us, but we just kept drinking and eating. After a bit she disappeared. 

We left the little cafe and headed back toward downtown. By now the sun was almost down and the breeze had stopped. I do not think the temperature dropped that much, so without the breeze the humidity was really noticeable. As we were walking along a policman told us we had to cross the street. We were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk in front of two official looking buildings. So here we are trying to cross a 8-lane street in Cuba. If you have been to any big city in a third world country, then you know it is pedestrian beware! I felt like I was in that game Frogger, trying to cross a busy street one lane at a time without getting smushed. Several honking horns later, we made it. From across the street we looked at the buildings. There was an amp system set up and banners and flags and bleachers. Apparently, something exciting was going to happen here. There was a scrolling marquee, but as we tried to read it, a policeman blew his whistle and told us to move on.

About a block further we heard some modern dance Top-40 music playing (Jessica Simpson, I think) and when we looked up we saw the Hotel Nacional...


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

thank god you didnt take a pic of the govt building....i think thats illegal


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## eggwhites (Apr 20, 2008)

Haha. 

Same thing happened to me when I was trying to enter Russia, except they weren't questioning me... every time they tried to scan my passport an error came through... I was stuck in the customs booth for a little over an hour. It sucked but luckily I got in.


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

that would suck


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## mjohnsoniii (Sep 9, 2007)

sounds like a nice place to visit.

one day...:mumbles:


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## amateurke (Mar 28, 2008)

Great pics!! Nice storry!! I love it.


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## terrasco-cl (Mar 4, 2007)

I am so jealous! Cuba is to cigars what Belgium is to beer. I really want to go to both places.


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## canney (Sep 2, 2007)

This is a great read.
I cant wait for the next chapter.


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## big04deuce (May 16, 2008)

Thx for the pics...I think we all are jealous!


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## jam (Dec 29, 2007)

wow sounds like a great place and a great experience


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## boomerd35 (Apr 24, 2007)

This story is a great read.


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## Wunderdawg (May 1, 2008)

More, we need more.........


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## happy1 (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanks for the pics,I'm turning green


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

The Hotel Nacional is a beautiful hotel. On a bluff overlooking the harbor on one side and on the other it overlooks the city. The cigar room has some of the best top shelf alcohols you will find anywhere. There is a patio on the edge of the bluff with an outdoor bar. The tenders make mojitos, or whatever you want, and also serve cigars right there. Tourists sit outside under trees or the stars, dressed up, and enjoy drinks, cigars, and conversation. 

It is funny. LIke the other large hotels we visited, this hotel has a hallway lined with pictures of all the celebrities that have visited. There should be no surprise a lot of the pictures are Americans. Rob Schneider, Peter Weller, the governor of Nebraska, and several others have all been there in recent years.

After a drink and a smoke at the hotel, it was time to move on down the road.


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## wes888 (Aug 16, 2007)

This is a great read. Thanks, and please keep them coming!


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

As we walked back towards the Parque Central, we noticed the restaurants and cafes were dark. The street lights were out for about a mile. At first we thought it was just the street we were on, but when we looked up the streets we noticed everything was dark. Probabaly ten blocks of the city were completely without light or any sign of electricity.

Further down the road the power was back on. We took a sidestreet and saw several clubs with music playing. Even though we were underdressed compared to the locals, we were offered head of the line privileges at each place. We also found coffee bars, ice cream places, and of course more bars.

By now it is about 11 o'clock and the night life is really starting to get jumping. People were lined up on the wall along the coast. Lovers were doing their thing. Groups of people were socializing. The working women were out like an army.

When we made it back to the Parque Central, we met a young man. He approached us and asked if we were Americans. Then he said, "Bienvenidos a Habana. A city with 2 million civilians and 1 million police. That is why nothing is ever happening here." We talked for awhile. He asked us how we liked his country. He offered to show us a place to get some food, cigars, and drinks. We decided to check it out. As we walked along he hurried ahead a little and I noticed him motion to someone across the street. Then I noticed a guy shadowing us from across the street. We caught up to our guide and he said he walked ahead of us because the police would not like it if a local was hanging out with two Americans. We might corrupt him. As we walked along, I saw our tail was still with us. When our guide started down a dark alley saying the spot we were heading to was just a little further I told my brother not to follow. I told our guide we were heading back to our hotel and we just kept walking on the main street. After our guide and tail lost interest I told my brother what was up. We headed on to a plaza near the Capitolio and the National Theater that has a statue of Jose Marti in it. There were a couple of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafes. There were more tourists here. There were also some locals who apparently had money... even in Communist Cuba there are those who have more than others. Of course, there were "ladies" all over the place up here. 

And that brings up another story... don't worry, it is rated G.


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

As we were hopping around places and talking to people an older woman approached me with the now familiar calling card "Tu quieres una mujer?" I was wearing a staw hat, you can see it in some of the photos, and she grabbed my hat to get my attention. The brim tore. It was an old hat and very weathered. I looked at her, put the hat on her head, and said, "No gracias" and then walked on. 

There were a lot of prostitutes on the street. Unlike what you see on the streets of in Hollywood, Vegas, or other places I have been, many of the women were actually beautiful and did not look they had seen a hundred years of life on the streets before they were 20. We also noticed they did not approach you if the police were around. In fact, they were normally chatting up the police. Once the patrol moved on they were a little more outgoing. 

My brother and I slipped into the NH hotel and went to the bar to beat the heat. Despite it was about midnight, it was still hot and humid. 

We sat down at the bar, ordered Mojitos, Monte #4s, and some tapas. Here was a whole new environment for the working women. They are not actually permitted in the hotel bar, but the higher class girls walk in, kiss-kiss with the manager or bartenders, and then take seats at chairs in the bar area. They order fruit juice, and I did not see any of them pay, and then try to entice men into inviting them to sit with them. The women are not allowed to approach men directly, but if they are invited, then they are allowed to offer their services. 

So one woman comes in with a man. She resembles and older version of Darryl Hannah in Splash, complete with the long hair to her butt. He buys her a drink and they chit-chat. Eventually he leaves and she stays there. She tries to attract our attention, but she was not successfull.

Then two young women come in. These girls sit down and they are stunning. Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio (Victoria's Secret models) have nothing on these two. If they were here in the US, then they would be models or very well taken care of by some man. I mean, they were drop-dead gorgeous... and I am not just saying that because I am partial to the latina type anyhow. 

Well, anyway, they wave at us and smile. I smiled back, but we did not invite them to join us. After all, if I was not going to give them a job offer, then why waste their time. With no other prospects in the bar to their liking, they moved to a table right next to us. They drank their fruit juice, but by the time we were done with our cigars we thought it was time to find some other sights. My brother and I left the hotel to see what else we could find. Later, when we came back to use the restroom... always use the restrooms at the tourist hotels... the two lovelies were chatting up some Canadians and were heading upstairs to the rooms.

More to come...


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

Some more pictures.

The Capitolio, the National Theater, a statue of Jose Marti in Central Park, me in the plaza where the Jose Marti statue is, a picture of the National Theater from down the street.


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

very nice pics


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## Research-Colin-cl (May 17, 2007)

havanitascigars said:


> As we were walking along a policman told us we had to cross the street. We were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk in front of two official looking buildings. So here we are trying to cross a 8-lane street in Cuba. If you have been to any big city in a third world country, then you know it is pedestrian beware! I felt like I was in that game Frogger, trying to cross a busy street one lane at a time without getting smushed. Several honking horns later, we made it. From across the street we looked at the buildings. There was an amp system set up and banners and flags and bleachers. Apparently, something exciting was going to happen here. There was a scrolling marquee, but as we tried to read it, a policeman blew his whistle and told us to move on.
> .


This is a great thread. Keep it coming. I just thought I would tell you that the rather austere buildings you were directed to avoid were filled with your countrymen. The building with the Marquee is the American Citizens Services Bureau of the Swiss Embassy. It has to be Swiss since the US can't have an embassy in Cuba. They are very strict about keeping people without passes, away from that building.

The marquee is only on at night and if you could read it, it flashed news headlines from around the world. It is hard to read because after the marquee was added to the building, Fidel placed a hundred or so flagpoles in front of it so as to obscure the messages. He didn't want "American Propaganda" sent into the streets of Havana. You may have also noticed that on the side of the flags opposite the US Mission, was a concert stage and an area for a crowd facing the flags/building. This is where Cubans demonstrate their disapproval of US policies in crowds with music and/or speakers. It is a permanent protesting venue.

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip. Sounds like a blast. I'm surprised that you waited until so late to have a cigar!


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## jitzy (Jan 7, 2007)

I am as jeleous as can possibly be right now I cannot wait to go there one day


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

I have read every post and I'm enjoying the crap out of your trip so far. Man what an experience. gotta love this place--not only for their fine tobacco products but for the scenery.

give me more!!!!


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## Wunderdawg (May 1, 2008)

I agree with Paul. This is like the lectors reading to the rollers, I can't wait to see what happens next.


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## jam (Dec 29, 2007)

Looks like a great time but it still amazing to me that a country 90 miles from the miami is so far behind . I would love to see cuba the closest to cuba i ever got was i Was married to a cuban woman


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## CBI (Feb 5, 2008)

Absolutely brilliant!! Read every word and enlarged every pic!!

It was like taking a trip to another world. Thanks soooooo much for sharing!!


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## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2007)

kind of surprising. You think they would want all of the hard currency that they can get and it is unlikely that you will be doing any serious espionage with one day. Not like there is anything to spy on down there.


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## BengalMan-cl (Nov 19, 2007)

This is an amazing thread indeed. Keep it up!


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## m69c44 (Nov 5, 2007)

Great Read.... More Please


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## mhlatke (Oct 13, 2007)

This is a fantastic thread! Sounds like an incredible adventure and your pics and story are wonderful - can't wait for your next post!


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

Some observations:

The restroom facilities are absolutely bottom-rung Third World. Except for in the most expensive hotels, I did not find a toilet seat in any of them. Most toilet stalls did not have doors. Few had toilet paper. Even fewer actually flushed, so you usually just ran into a toilet that was backed up and filled with crap from who knows how many people before you. The best thing to do is to go into the big tourist hotels and use their restroom. I was never questioned as to whether I was a guest, and if I received any weird looks I just ordered a beer at the bar and all was good.

Living conditions for most people were incredible. These wonderful, old houses and buildings have been converted into apartment buildings. Without ownership, there is no reason to keep them up at the tenants expense. I saw families of 5 or 6 living in a unit that was about 10 x 15. This space had their bed, couch, small dining set, oven, refrigerator, and a dresser. There would be a small closet to the side with the toilet and a tiny shower. That was it. Many had no windows, and the front doors did not close all the way. This was in Habana. I did not get out to the country, but if it is typical of most places I have been, the country folk live in worse conditions.

Alcohol is abundant and everywhere. A Soviet philosopher once said, "Americans drink to enjoy life, Soviets drink to forget it." I think the same can be said of most Cubans. There are bars next to bars, next to cafes serving beer. 

The older generations seem to accept the propaganda they are living in a better society, but the youth do not. 

The youth are very modern. I saw the same fads of piercings, big sunglasses, and a lot of the fashion styles that can be seen in Europe or here in the US. The youth are also not content with their life. They are being exposed to tourists from other places. They are also travelling and experiencing other cultures. They know there is something other than what they have and they want it.

Despite the fantasy and stories of all the old American cars in Cuba, they are not as abundant as you might think. There are a lot of them, but there are more Lottes and other newer cars on the road. It is not like there is a 57 Chevy or 48 Buick in every driveway.

The government hates George Bush. On the road from the airport to town I counted three large billboards that were anti-Bush. They are not anti-American. Just anti-Bush. One had pictures of some of the detainees at Guantanemo. It read, "Bush says these men are terrorists. He says you are terrorists. Bush is the terrorist. Be grateful you live in a truly free nation." It was in spanish of course. I thought it was amusing they describe themselves as "truly free" when they arrested and sentenced to prison over a dozen authors and professors last year for being critical of Castro's policies.

The people are warm, friendly, and very gracious. Just be careful, because they are also motivated to make an extra buck at your expense if they can. Our taxi driver, the two "guides" we met, the prostitutes, and several others who offered various services for a fee. You cannot blame them for wanting to supplement their income, you just must beware of who you are dealing with and always take note of your surroundings.

Prostitutes are about $120 per night in the classier hotels. That is all night. Compare that to $600 in Vegas, or $650 in Vancouver (last time I was there), or $15 in Thailand, or $70 in Mexico, or $800 in Europe. That is a comparison of economics. And, no, I did not partake. Just curious as to how everything compares. I will say the women who work the streets and hotels are beautiful. I could not believe some of these women were prostitutes. 

If you do not like pork, and black beans and rice, then you will starve here. This is the most common menu item we found. 

For a place that is illegal for Americans to visit, there sure are a lot of Americans going there. In fact, rumors that you cannot exchange US dollars for Cubietas are untrue. The exchange rate with US dollars is very good (about .95 to 1.0). That is better than changing your dollars to Mexican Pesos or Euros before arriving and then buying Cubietas. We exchanged pesos at first and received .77 to 1.0 on our US dollars.

Despite it being Cuba, cigars are amazingly not easy to find. There are no cigar shops that we found on the street. The Casa de los Habanos stores are in the hotels, and the prices are not cheap. In fact, I found some of the prices to be higher than what I paid in Spain or other places. When asking for cigars, do not call them "cigars", "cigarros", etc. You will receive cigarettes. Just ask for "tobacco" and you will be directed to the cigar humidor.

Smoking in public places is officially banned, but no one enforces it or honors it. Besides drinking, smoking seems to be one of the most popular past times. Still, very few people are smoking cigars. Most of the people you see are smoking cigarettes.


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

Derek,
You just educated me on many things. The one thing I noticed you were very percise on was ------

Prostitutes are about $120 per night in the classier hotels. That is all night. Compare that to $600 in Vegas, or $650 in Vancouver (last time I was there), or $15 in Thailand, or $70 in Mexico, or $800 in Europe. That is a comparison of economics. And, no, I did not partake. Just curious as to how everything compares. I will say the women who work the streets and hotels are beautiful. I could not believe some of these women were prostitutes.

Derek my man---Were you able to obtain any fine tobacco?

very nice thread--


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

The tobacco story is my next posting later on today.


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## havanitascigars-cl (Apr 29, 2007)

Prices I found for stuff I picked up: Cuaba Salomones $250 per box. One hotel had them for $14 each. 
Vegas Robaina Don Alejandros $460 per box (They were $22 individually)
Montecristo #4 were $182 (I paid $9 for mine at the hotel)
RyJ Churchills $200 per box (singles were $11)
Sancho Panza Coronas Gigantes $170 per box (hotels were charging $9)
San Cristobal El Morro $450 by the box ($21 by the stick)

Obviously box prices were cheaper. I picked up some individual sticks. I was worried about going through Customs upon returning home so I did not want to lay out a ton of cash. If I would have known....

Upon returning home I was going through Customs at LAX. They are working on the International Terminal so everyone from all flights in goes through the same Immigration and Customs area. Several flights from Asia were there also. The officials were so busy checking all these people and going through the whole routine an officer at the gate called me over after I picked up my suitcase and said, "American?"
"Yes"
"Your form filled out and signed?"
"Yes"
"Give it to me and just go out here."
And away I went. I could have had a whole suitcase full of cigars and Havana Club 7 and no one would have known. 
Of course, if I would not have been so cautious my luck probably would have gone the other way.


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